Y2K crackers hit Mumbai this Diwali

MID-DAY (NOV 2001)

By Skimmy Gupta

Y2K is going to hit Mumbai again, but it's not the computer virus this time. Y2K is an aerial firecracker being sold in Mohammed Ali Road.

Boogie Woogie is silent as it zig zags to the sky leaving a trail of light in its wake.

Star Plus shoots silent stars. Other noiseless firecrackers are Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (a set of 10 tubes, each one emitting a different colour), Mela, World War, Blue Zone, Backstreet Boys, Raiders of The Lost Ark, Bad Boys, Mast Mast, 2000 Bug, Hot Girls.

This unusual assortment comes in the wake of a Supreme Court (SC) order banning firecrackers with sounds crossing 125 decibels. Aerial firecrackers, which make a sound high in the air, silent firecrackers and plastic guns are among the most wanted these days. Natubhai, owner of J B Devidas and Sons, Mohammed Ali Road, says, " Bombs and groundcrackers are no longer in demand." All shopkeepers are following the SC directives as regards the nature of crackers, but state that they are not responsible if people do not follow the guidelines set by the SC.

Business this Diwali is as usual, going by the number of people crowding firecracker shops. Most shops open at around 8 am and close by 10.30 pm.

" There are no new brands of firecrackers; everything s the same as last year," said Natubhai. However, street vendors are finding it tough to survive this year. According to G Shaikh, who sells crackers opposite the New Variety Shop in Mohammed Ali Road, Osama bin Laden is responsible for the downfall. " It is because of him that a war has started and recession has hit Mumbai. People don't have money to buy crackers," said Shaikh.

Rauf Bhai, a vendor on the same street who sells plastic guns, agrees, " This year is not as good as last year." Most shopkeepers refused to comment on how the war affects business and say, " Please keep us out of all this."

In areas like Chembur, Kurla and Govandi, bombs and rockets like Y2K, Chameli, Raja, Shamma and Panther are stocked along with the 5,000 or 10,000 wali ladi, as vendors call it. Business is not so great here either.

" The craze is gone. People are now not as keen as they used to be, so I sell only the phool jhadi and the chakri that is bought by the kids," said Ashok Patil, a fire cracker vendor in Chembur.
Firecrackers are available in the range of Rs 20 to Rs 10,000. The ladis, fountains and chakris are still in demand. Guns, too, are a craze with kids. As one shopkeeper puts it, " Kids love guns, but elders avoid them."

Most shopkeepers in Dadar and Matunga have stocked aerial firecrackers, as they are more in demand than ground crackers. " Many buy these because they are safer compared to the rasi bomb or the ladi," said Anand Mhatre, a shopkeeper near Dadar station.

Similarly Shashikant Bhende, a roadside vendor in Dadar, has stocked toofan rockets and chavi rolls too. " Guns are in demand. There is one type of gun that comes with both a rocket and a roll," he said.

Aerial crackers are costly and can cost up to Rs 500 to 600 a piece, but people will spend. " They look great when the burst in the sky. The whole sky lights up,"said A K Anna, a firecracker vendor near Matunga Station.

As for the 125-decibel rule, it is summed up by a vendor in Kurla, " What is 125 debal?"